Memory core matrix with printed windings



1958 J. M. BERNSTEIN. ET AL MEMORY CORE MATRIX WITH PRINTED WINDINGS Original Filed Jan. 6, 1961 JNVENTORS Joseph M. BernsIe/n q;- or e J. 6 7d r C 7 Hy.

United States Patent 3,413,620 MEMORY CORE MATRIX WITH PRINTED WINDINGS Joseph M. Bernstein, Omaha, Nebr., George J. David,

Addison, Ill., assignors to Automatic Electric Laboratories, Inc., Northlake, 111., a corporation of Delaware Original application Jan. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 81,185, now Patent No. 3,196,522, dated July 27, 1965. Divided and this application Jan. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 428,365

3 Claims. (Cl. 340174) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A core memory plane is formed having an array of cores located by an apertured card and maintained in position by a comb-shaped card. One of the embodiments employs a comb-shaped card having the cores threaded by the fingers of the comb and an apertured card in the form of a second comb for spacing the cores by having its fingers extending between the cores and at right angles to the fingers of the first card. Conductive segments on adjacent surfaces of the cards make contact to form windings which thread the cores in substantiall the same plane.

This invention relates in general to magnetic devices and more particularly, to magnetic core matrices using printed circuitry. This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 81,185, filed Jan. 6, 1961, now United States Patent No. 3,196,522 issued July 27, 1965.

Copending applications, Method of Producing a Memory Core Array, by Rudolph O. Stoehr and John W. Liston, Ser. No. 51,688 filed Aug. 24, 1960, now United Patent No. 3,197,746 issued July 27, 1965; and Printed Circuitry for Magnetic Matrix, by George J. David, Patent 3,133,270 granted May 12, 1964; both having the present assignee, disclose core matrices that comprise a plurality of cards having apertures with lips extending therein to secure and support the magnetic cores. The present invention further develops the technique according to these prior applications by the use of cards having apertures and key members having extending fingers to lock the magnetic cores into position. This latter technique discloses a uniquely simple approach to the production of magnetic core matrices.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel and more simplified arrangement for threading printed conductors through cores of a core memory device.

Another object of this invention is to produce a magnetic device which lends itself to greater flexibility and word potential in a memory system.

This disclosure features in general a plurality of flat insulating members or cards which are stacked together in the form of a laminated block. The insulating members are shaped and configured to support the magnetic ring cores perpendicular to the planes of the members, and to lock them in a fixed position after they are placed into the stacked relationship. Printed conductor segments are disposed on the surface of these insulating members by any of the known printed circuit techniques and in a manner that the ends of one segment contact (overlap) ends of other conductor segments disposed on an adjacent member until a continuous electrical winding is formed between each pair of members. Through this approach threading of the cores with an electrical conductor is kept simple and can be accomplished by printing only virtually straight and relatively short segments on the members. Complicated conductor patterns are avoided and accordingly cost of manufacture minimized.

Patented Nov. 26, 1968 While the printed conductor segments can be kept virtually straight the final continuous winding they form is determined by the function of the winding. Thus a winding between two cards may serve one function, and a winding between two other cards may serve another function. The number of windings extending through a core depends on the size core and thickness of the cards. Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from a perusal of the following detailed description.

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the position of the components of a first embodiment of the invention prior to assembly.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the position of the components of a second embodiment prior to assembly.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the assembled magnetic device according to the first embodiment.

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the assembled device as shown in FIG. 3 showing the pressure blocks and the heating elements contained therein, which are used in the assembly operation.

Referring now the FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the memory core matrix there shown includes insulating members 10 and 13, ring cores 12, and printed conductor segments 15. Card 10 is a flat and rectangular shaped sheet made of insulating material such as a plastic, and having a plurality of rectangular slots or apertures 11. Key member 13 is also made of insulating material and used in combination with card 10. Its configuration is comb shaped with parallel fingers 14 projecting from a common base portion or yoke. The fingers are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between the rows of ring cores and are the means used to thread the cores with a conductor. Moreover, when key member 13, for example, is placed against card It the cores on the fingers are locked into position and prevented from falling out of the apertures 11.

The aforementioned conductor segments 15 are preferably solder coated for the reason explained subsequently. The conductor segments are preferably applied to the two different insulating members in the same manner and by any one of a number of processes used in the field of printed circuitry for example, by an etching process. The segments on the key member lie in one direction and those on the card lie in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first-mentioned direction to enable the ends of the segments on one member to contact and overlap with the ends of the segments on the other member and thereby provide a continuous winding between and through the cores. These windings may, for example, serve as a horizontal winding, a vertical winding, or a sense winding to a magnetic core memory.

A preliminary step of the preferred method of manufacture may be to place the ring cores 12 into depressions of jig 16. This step temporarily supports the cores as well as arranges them in a matrix pattern.

Next, card 10 is placed over the cores so that the rec tangular shaped apertures surround the cores. This is followed by positioning key member 13 parallel with card 10 so that the extending fingers 14 thereof are aligned with the apertures 11 of the magnetic cores 12. Key member 13 is then moved transversely until the fingers 14 extend completely through the array of cores and lie adjacent to card 10. This prcedure is followed again until the desired number of cards and key members are stacked together forming substantially a laminated block. The block thusly formed is then subjected to heat and pressure by means of a heat element 17 and a pressure block 18 shown in FIGURE 4 or similar means so that the solder coating on the printed conductor segments 15 on both insulating members 10 and 13 flows into a continuous winding at points where the segments of one member overlap the segments of an adjacent member. As a result continuous windings are formed and at the same time insulating members and 13 are held in a stacked relationship or a laminated block form and the cores 12 are secured therein. The assembly is then removed from the jig.

A second embodiment of the device, as shown in FIG. 2, uses substantially the same method of manufacture as required with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. According to this embodiment the insulating members all have parallel fingers which project perpendicular to a common base or yoke and conductor segments 15 (only one set shown) are applied to these fingers by printed circuit techniques, so that conductor segments carried by one insulating member are completed by conductor segments of an adjacent card.

The magnetic ring cores 12 according to this embodiment may be slipped over the extending fingers of insulating member 13 and locked into position through the placement of insulating member 19 adjacent to it. Therefore, the fingers on one key member extend through the core apertures and thereby thread a conductor segment through them, and the fingers of an adjacent insulating member extend alongside the cores; the combination thereof provides complete securement of the cores and also the necessary electrical winding. This arrangement may be suitable in certain applications where more uniformity in the shape of the insulating members is desirable.

This invention has been described in detail, however, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and numerous changes in the detail and structure may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a magnetic core device, at least one card made of insulating material and having a plurality of apertures therein, a plurality of magnetic ring cores located in said apertures and oriented with their axes parallel to the plane of said card, at least one key member comprising parallel extending fingers, each of said fingers threading certain ones of said cores, said cores being locked into position in said card by said key member, and conductor segments formed on the fingers of said key member and on said card such that segments on said card are contacted and continued in substantialy the same plane by .4 segments formed on the fingers of said key member so as to provide an electrical winding for said device.

2. In a magnetic core device, first and second members stacked adjacent to and in planes parallel with each other, at least one of said first members having extending fingers and at least one of said second members having fingers extending at an angle to the fingers of said one first member, each of said members comprising a plurality of conductor segments formed on surfaces of said fingers in such a manner that Segments on said one first member contact and are continued by segments on said one second member to form continuous electrical windings for said device, and a plurality of magnetic ring cores, said fingers of said one first member extending through said cores, and said fingers of said one second member extending between said cores so that said cores are locked into spaced-apart positions by said fingers of said members.

3. In a magnetic core device, a plurality of magnetic ring cores, a plurality of electrically nonconductive parallel cards, at least one of said cards having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures therein arranged in rows for receiving and individually locating said plurality of cores, said cores being oriented with their axes parallel to the plane of said one card, another card parallel and adjacent to said one card for locking said plurality of cores in position, said other card being comb-shaped and including a common arm having a plurality of fingers extending therefrom with each of said-fingers extending through the cores of a separate row, and a plurality of conductor segments formed on at least one surface of said one card and on at least the adjacent surface of said fingers of said other car in such a manner that the conductive segments of said one card contact the conductive segments of said other card to form electrical windings which extend through said cores and lie in a single plane between said cards.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1959 Sylvester 340174 4/1960 Steinen 340-174 

